Highway of Regret
by ScorpioGirl1987
Summary: Just after Sonny and Will finally start to find their way back to each other, tragedy strikes. Based on spoilers. Wilson
1. Swan Song

**So, in case you guys don't know...Will is gonna be killed off. This is how I feel it should be done, but, this is just my opinion.**

 **I can't believe they totally demolished the gay storyline on Days. Say what you will about Luke and Noah (and Kurt and Blaine), but at least they're still ALIVE and will find their way back to each other (Luke and Noah, that is. Klaine's already married and have a daughter).**

These past few weeks have been the hardest for Will. Still no word from Sonny, and there's the face that both his uncle's and cousin's ex-girlfriends were murdered, his grandmother was attacked, and his good friend is a suspect. He wished more than ever that he hadn't screwed up his marriage. Counseling seemed to be helping a little.

He did, however, get some surprisingly good news: Gabi got released from prison early. However, she had a lot of restrictions: She has to live with a responsible family member, she has to wear an ankle monitor, and she can't leave the state for ten years. Gabi visited Will and Ari every day. Will filled Gabi in on everything she missed. He vented about his marital problems.

"So, Sonny still hasn't called you?" Gabi asked.

Will sighed sadly and slumped on the couch. "No, and he never will. I messed up so _so_ badly, Gabi. He's never gonna forgive me."

"Sure he will. He will!" Gabi assured him. "I mean, I've pulled way worse than you and he forgave me everything. If he can forgive me, he can forgive you."

"But he was in love with me. And that means something." Will lamented.

Gabi squeezed his hand comfortingly. "It's gonna be okay. You two share a bond that can't be broken no matter how messed up things get."

Will smiled sadly. "I wish I could believe that. But, it's over. I blew it. I blew the best thing that ever happened to me. Why? Why do I do that?"

"I think…I think it's because…you've been through so much crap, you don't know how to handle good things that happen to you." Gabi shrugged. "I'm kind of the same way. I learned to just enjoy it while it lasts."

"I wish I did that." Will admitted. "Then maybe this whole mess wouldn't have happened."

"I'm sorry." Gabi shook her head sadly. She sighed and her phone rang. "Oh. It's Sonny. He must have heard the good news. Hey, Sonny!"

"Hey! I heard that a certain friend of mine was out of prison." Sonny replied.

Gabi chuckled. "Yeah. It's a relief, really."

"Ari must be so elated to have her Mami back." Sonny said.

"She is." Gabi nodded. "Will's glad to have me back, too."

Sonny was silent for a minute. "How's he doing?"

"Okay." Gabi glanced at Will. "He really misses you."

Sonny swallowed and whispered. "So do I."

"Then why don't you tell him?" Gabi asked.

"I'm still angry." Sonny replied. "He's said he's sorry a million times, and I believe him. But…I'm just not there yet."

"You know…I've learned a lot over the past year." Gabi said. "One thing I've learned is that sometimes it's the not forgiving that holds us back from living."

"Thanks. I'll remember that." Sonny replied.

"Good." Gabi cleared her throat. "So…how is Paris?"

Gabi and Sonny talked some more. Their phone conversation ended with Sonny promising to send Gabi some discount Chanel clothes as long as she pays him back.

Sonny thought long and hard about his conversation with Gabi about Will. It's true he missed Will despite everything. But…honestly? Will isn't the man he fell in love with. Not anymore. Then again…he is going to therapy. Maybe there is still a chance. He'll never know if he doesn't try, right?

XXX

Will sat at his laptop working on his next article. Ari and Gabi were both at Rafe's apartment. He was surprised to get a Skype call, and even more surprised that it was from his estranged husband.

"Hey, Will." Sonny greeted.

"Hi." Will answered. "How's Pa-ree?"

"Good."

"What are you doing up? It's like four in the morning over there." Will wondered.

"I couldn't sleep." Sonny shrugged. "I think it's because I miss you like crazy, even though I'm still mad at you."

Will nodded. "I really am sorry for everything I put you through. I really do want you back."

"You had me. _All_ of me. And you threw me away like a piece of trash." Sonny couldn't help venting.

"It was a mistake. I see it now." Will insisted. "I wish I could change the past, but I know I can't."

"What would you have changed?" Sonny asked. "Never agreed to marry me so young? Never…?"

"Never gone to LA." Will answered. "I would have stayed in Salem. That was the start of all our troubles. Will and Sonny. That was all we needed, right?"

Sonny swallowed and nodded. "Right. Although…I share some of the blame for our marriage going to hell. I've lied to you, kept secrets…treated you like a little brother than a husband- an equal…"

Will chuckled. "Wow, we really suck at being married."

Sonny laughed. "Well, it's never too late to change."

"What are you saying?" Will asked, slightly hopeful.

"I'm saying…it's taken me a long time to get to this point, but…I forgive you." Sonny said.

Will got choked up. It felt like a great weight has been lifted off of him. "Thank you. I forgive you, too. Sonny…you are my first love. And I want more than anything for you to be my last. But I know it will take a long while to get back to the way things were before."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Sonny smiled. "I want to give you one more chance."

"Really?" Will asked, sounding hopeful.

"Yes. But let me warn you: this will also be your _last_ chance." Sonny said firmly.

"Okay. Okay. I promise- I will not screw it up this time." Will nodded and laughed in relief.

Sonny smiled. "You know…you could come to Paris. It is getting a little lonely."

"I definitely will visit." Will promised. "I'll bring Ari with me, too."

"That would be great!" Sonny exclaimed. He missed his little girl. "Hey, you wanna see the view from my apartment window?"

"Sure! A little sneak preview to what I'll be visiting." Will chuckled. Sonny brought his tablet to his window. The Eiffel Tower was barely visible. "Wow!"

"Not the most attractive neighborhood, but, you can sort of see the Eiffel Tower." Sonny shrugged. He sat down on his bed and turned the tablet back around. "Not bad, huh?"

Will chuckled. "'Not bad'? I wouldn't even blame you if you decided to never leave!"

Sonny laughed. "Well, I did promise my uncle I wouldn't stay away too long."

"Good!" Will said. "I've really taken our relationship for granted. I didn't know how to handle happiness, and…this time, I promise to enjoy it while I can."

"You're making a lot of promises." Sonny half-teased.

"And this time, I'll keep them." Will said. "Guess what I'm gonna say next?"

"'I promise'?" Sonny smirked.

Will laughed. "Yeah, you got it!"

Sonny chuckled. "I love you so much, Will."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that." Will said sincerely. "I love you, too."

"I'll see you soon." Sonny replied.

Will closed out of Skype and shut his laptop and sighed in content. For the first time in a long time, things were getting better. He was so happy, he didn't notice a strange figure climbing through the window.

XXX

Gabi carried her daughter to Will's apartment. "Aww, are you tired? Oh, I wish I could live here with you and your daddy, _mi'ja_ , but…rules are rules. I have to live with your _Tio_ Rafe. I'm just so glad me and your daddy get along so well. Yes, I am." She opened the door and stepped in. "Will? You still up?" She looked around, but couldn't see him. "Hmm. Looks like Daddy's asleep." She tiptoed to Ari's room and tucked her daughter into bed. She shut Ari's door quietly and turned to the kitchen. She looked down and noticed Will's arm laying on the floor, sticking out from behind the counter. Gabi rushed around and gasped in horror as she saw Will laying on the floor, dead. Eyes open, and a red necktie around his neck. Gabi wanted to scream, but she also didn't want to wake her daughter up. Instead, she sank to the floor, hyperventilating, and called for help.


	2. Spreading The News

Sonny tried to get some rest before he had to go to work. He couldn't shake this feeling of dread he had tugging at him since he ended his conversation with Will. It took a while, but he finally drifted off.

"Hey, Baby."

Sonny woke up to find Will next to him, holding a flower. "Will? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." Will smiling.

"I'm glad you did." Sonny and Will hugged and kissed.

"Take care of her." Will said. "Don't you dare make her cry."

Sonny's eyes flew open and he sat up, looking around. That was a strange dream. The dread was stronger. Without thinking, he fumbled for his phone to call his pilot. "Lee, hey, it's Sonny. Are you still in Paris?"

"Yes, I am."

"Okay, um…I know this is last minute, but…I need to get back to Salem as soon as possible."

XX

Sonny was on the Kiriakis jet within two hours. He was about to turn his phone off when it rang. He stiffened when he saw that it was Hope calling. _'Please be a social call.'_ Sonny cleared his throat and swallowed. "Hope. Hey."

"Hey, Sonny." Hope replied, sounding sad. "Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah. Actually, I'm on the Kiriakis jet right now. I'm coming back to Salem." Sonny said. "Hope, what's wrong?"

Hope sniffed and cleared her throat. "Honey…it's Will. He was found dead in your apartment tonight. He was strangled to death."

It was as if someone quickly sucked all the air from Sonny's body. His throat closed up, and his hands started shaking. He let his phone drop to the floor. He clutched his chest and started sobbing.

' _No…no! It can't be! We were just starting to work our way back to each other!'_ He thought in anguish.

XXX

Sami just finished putting her kids to bed. She was about to get ready for bed herself, when her phone rang. "Dad! This is a surprise."

"Sami, I have to tell you something." Roman sighed. "It's about Will."

"Is he okay?" Sami asked.

"He died tonight, honey." Roman said sadly. "He was-"

"No! No, he's not dead!" Sami cried. "You're lying!"

"Sami-"

Sami hung up. Crying, she called Will's cell phone.

" _Hi, you've reached Will Horton-Kiriakis. Leave a message and I'll get back to you."_

"Will! Your grandfather just called me. He-he told me you're dead! Call me." Sami hung up, then called again, and got his voicemail. "Aah! Will, this isn't funny! Please, call me. I need to know that you're okay." She called his phone again and still got his voicemail. Reality slowly set in, and Sami sank to the floor. This was too much for her. First she lost Grace, almost lost Johnny- twice, lost EJ…now…her first born, her Will was… she couldn't finish that thought. She reached behind her, grabbed a throw pillow and screamed into it until she broke down sobbing. She collapsed to the ground, staring into space.

XX

Kimberly closed her book and took off her reading glasses. It has been three weeks since Paige's funeral, and she was still exhausted with grief. Eve blamed her and Shane of course. She claimed that if Shane paid for Paige's college tuition, they wouldn't have gone to Salem in the first place. Her phone rang.

"Roman! This is a surprise."

"Hey, sis." Roman sounded said.

"What's wrong? Is it Ma?" Kim asked, worried.

"No…it's Will. He was found dead earlier tonight." Roman cleared his throat.

Kim gasped and felt tears welling up in her eyes. "No…oh God, no. Not after…"

"I just called Sami, and she hung up on me." Roman continued. "I was hoping you could check up on her and the kids. Maybe put them on a plane to Salem?"

"Of course. I'm on my way."

XX

Johnny woke up when he heard muffled screams and crying from downstairs. He ran out of his room and met Allie. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah." Allie nodded. "Where's Mom?"

"I think that _was_ Mom…" The twins hurried downstairs to the living room. They saw their mother laying on her side on the floor, clutching a photo. Her eyes were open and staring into space. They rushed to her side. "Mom?" Johnny shook Sami's shoulders. "Mom!" Sami's phone rang, and Johnny answered. "Aunt Kim? I think there's something wrong with my mom."

"Why? What's happened?" Kim asked.

"She's just lying on the ground staring into space. I can't wake her up." Johnny's voice shook slightly.

"All right, Johnny, just stay calm. I'm actually on my way to your house." Kim said calmly. "Uncle Shane and I ill be there in just a few minutes. Just…stay with her until we get there."

"Okay. What's wrong with her?" Johnny asked.

"We'll tell you once we get there."

XX

As soon as the Donovans got to the house, Kim ushered the twins upstairs, and Shane picked Sami up and set her on the couch. Kim told Allie to wake Sydney up so she could deliver the bad news to all three of them.

"Your big brother, Will died earlier tonight." Kim said sadly.

Allie and Sydney burst into tears. "What?"

"But…we just lost our dad last year. Will can't be dead, too!" Johnny exclaimed. They cried in their aunt's arms.

XXX

Roman knocked on the door of Marlena's penthouse. Marlena opened the door to let him in. "Roman! Is something wrong?"

Roman cleared his throat as John and Paul walked into the living room. "It's Will. He died earlier tonight."

Marlena's hand flew to her mouth, and her knees buckled. John caught her before she hit the ground. "No…no, that's impossible! I just talked to him earlier this afternoon!"

"Please tell me it was an accident." John said, fearing Roman's response.

Roman shook his head. "He was murdered by the same person who killed Serena and Paige and attacked Marlena."

"Oh, my God!" Marlena broke down. John half-carried, half-dragged Marlena to the couch to sit down.

"Do Sami and Sonny know?" John asked.

"Yes. They're both on their way here." Roman nodded.

John exhaled sharply and blinked away tears. "I…I need to call Brady and-and Belle and Carrie…"

"I'll call Carrie. You worry about Brady and Belle." Roman replied.

Paul was shocked at the revelation. It seemed like Will was just getting his act together. Now, he's…he sighed and blinked away tears, and shared a look with his father. "I'll call Brady. You call Belle."

"Thanks."

Paul went into the guest room of the penthouse, sat on the bed, and called Brady.

"Hey, little brother. I was just about to go to bed." Brady answered. "What's up?"

Paul cleared his throat. "It's Will. He died earlier tonight."

"What? Are you serious?" Brady exclaimed.

"I wish I wasn't." Paul admitted. "Commissioner Brady came by tonight and told Dad, Marlena, and me."

Brady exhaled sharply. "God, I can't believe this."

"I know. Neither can I." Paul sighed. "Sami and Sonny are both on their way to Salem."

"Okay. I better let everyone here know." Brady checked his clock and hoped everyone was awake. "Thanks for letting me know."

"You're welcome." Paul replied. "Talk to you soon."

"Yeah." Brady hung up.

About five minutes later, Victor, Maggie, Caroline, Justin, and Adrienne were all gathered in the living room.

"What's so important that this couldn't wait until morning?" Victor asked, a little cranky.

"You'll find out as soon as Theresa gets her lazy ass down here." Brady replied.

Just then, Theresa walked in, looking crankier than Victor. "Okay, who died now?"

"Will, actually." Brady replied. "He was killed earlier tonight by the same person who killed those two women and attacked Marlena."

Everyone was silent until Caroline spoke up. "Y-you mean to tell me that my great-grandson…is…?" She took shaky breaths, and started crying. "Oh…oh, Will!" Theresa rushed over to her grandmother to hug her.

"Oh my God, poor Ari and Sonny!" Maggie cried into Victor's arms.

Brady nodded. "Apparently, Sonny and Sami are both on their way back."

"Oh, yeah. Lee called earlier to tell us." Justin replied.

Adrienne nodded. "I'm picking Sonny up from the airport at around eleven-thirty tomorrow."

Justin sighed. "I better get some sleep. Looks like I have a big day ahead of me. I'm sorry for your loss." He said to Maggie, Caroline, Theresa, and Brady; then left.

XXX

Carrie set her, Austin's, and Anna's breakfasts on the table. Her phone rang. "Hey, Dad!"

"Hey, Carrie." Roman replied. "Listen, I have to tell you something upsetting."

"Is it Grandma?" She asked, worriedly.

"No. It's Will. He was killed earlier tonight. Strangled." Roman said.

Carrie gasped and burst into tears as Austin walked into the kitchen. "Oh my god! Will's been strangled to death!"

"What?!" Austin rushed over to his wife. "Carrie? What happened?"

"Will. He…he…he's…oh, Austin!" Carrie flung against her husband and sobbed into his shoulders. Their beloved nephew, who they raised like their own was gone forever.

XXX

"You know, I actually like Hawaii. Why don't we just move here?"

Shawn Douglas, Belle, and Claire tied up their yacht and walked up the pier at Honolulu.

"Because, Baby, we miss Salem. And so do you." Belle replied, fluffing her daughter's hair, much to her chagrin.

"Mooom!" Claire ducked away and groaned.

Belle chuckled, and her cell phone rang. "Oh. It's your grandpa. Daddy! Just in time."

"Hey, Tink. I'm guessing you're in Hawaii, then." John guessed.

"You guess correct!" Belle replied, smiling. "What's up?"

"I have to tell you something pretty upsetting." John said gravely.

"Oh my god. Is it Caroline?" Belle asked. Her husband and daughter looked at her in concern.

"No, actually," John sighed. "it's Will. He was killed earlier tonight."

Belle froze and clutched Shawn's arm. "Oh my god. Do we know who did it?"

"Well, it was by the same person who killed two women about a month ago, and the same person who attacked your mother." John said.

"Oh my God…oh my god, Sami and Lucas! And Sonny and Arianna! I can't believe…" Belle gasped and wiped away tears. "We're coming to Salem."

"All right, I'll see you then."

Belle took a deep breaths and put a hand each on Shawn and Claire's shoulders. "Your cousin Will died earlier today."

"What?" Shawn gasped.

"Oh my God." Claire gasped and blinked away tears. The trio hugged each other.

XXX

Marlena slowly walked to Eric's apartment and knocked on the door. Eric opened it, and Marlena immediately pulled him into a hug and started weeping. Eric pulled her into the apartment and they sat down on the couch.

"Mom, what's wrong? Is it Grandma Caroline?" Eric asked.

Marlena shook her head and sniffed. "It's Will, honey. He died earlier tonight."

"What?" Eric was shell-shocked. "But…he's so young, and…oh, no. Sami…"

"Sami's on her way back to Salem." Marlena nodded. "She's gonna need all of us."

"Yeah, really." Eric sighed. "At least Will's in a better place."

XXX

Kayla sat still, her body going numb. She was talking to Hope on the phone. "Are you sure?"

"Afraid so." Hope sniffed.

"Oh, god…" Kayla blinked away tears and sniffed. "That poor baby girl. I mean, she has Gabi and Sonny at least, but still…"

"It's not enough." Hope sighed. "I felt the same way growing up. Julie is great, but, I still wish I knew my mother."

"Mmhmm." Kayla nodded. "I…I have to tell Steve and the kids. I'll call Sami and Sonny tomorrow."

"Well, they're both on their way back to Salem, so…Sonny will be at his apartment and Sami will most likely be at Marlena's townhouse."

"Okay. Thank you." Kayla said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Kayla hung up, wept a little, and wiped away tears. She stood up to see Steve walking into the room. "Sweetness, what's wrong?"

Kayla swallowed down a lump in her throat and cleared it. "Will you, um…wake the kids for me? I've got some bad news."

"Your ma?" Steve guessed.

Kayla shook her head. "No. Just…wake the kids."

A few minutes later, Steve came back with Stephanie (whose apartment was being fumigated, so she's staying with her parents) and Joey in tow.

"Guys, um…Will died earlier tonight."

Stephanie gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. Joey swore under his breath.

"But…he's so young! He has his whole life ahead of him!" Steve exclaimed.

"Oh my god, poor Sami and Sonny and Ari!" Stephanie exclaimed. "And Allie, Johnny, and Sydney- they just lost their dad last year. Now they lose their big brother?"

"It's just not fair." Joey shook his head slowly.

XXX

Kate was next on Roman's "bad news" tour. She was calm, but annoyed when she answered. "This better be an emergency."

"It is." Roman replied. "Kate…I have some bad news. Will was killed earlier tonight."

Kate gasped for breath and stumbled backwards, shaking her head in disbelief. "Who's responsible?"

"We don't know." Roman shook his head slowly.

"Well, you let me know as soon as you find out so I can go all _Zero Dark Thirty_ on their ass!" Kate demanded, tears streaming down her face.

Roman nodded. "I will." They hugged. Kate sobbed into his shoulder.

XXX

Kate knocked on Lucas' door. Lucas answered and sighed in irritation. "Yes?"

"May I come in? It-it's about…Will." She barely whispered that name.

Lucas stepped aside to let his mother in. "What about him? Couldn't it wait til morning?"

"No, Lucas, it can't." Kate snapped, then softened. "I…I hoped I would never have to tell you something like this."

"But…you hoped you would sell me out to further your career?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

Kate was too sad to respond to that. "Will…he…he's…gone."

"Gone? Like what do you mean?" Lucas asked. "Did he go after Sonny?"

Kate sniffed and shook her head. "I wish…more than anything that that was the case."

"But…?"

Kate wept a little. "He…died…Lucas. He was found dead in his apartment earlier tonight."

Lucas' breath caught in his throat. He collapsed on the couch breathing heavily. His son, his baby boy who had his whole life ahead of him…gone. He shook his head slowly. He broke down completely. Kate held him. "My boy…my boy…"

XXX

Philip was woken up by his phone ringing. He groaned in frustration and immediately imagined stabbing whomever woke him up with a dull knife. He checked his ID and sat up in concern. His mother would never call him this late unless it was an emergency.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Philip asked.

"Hi, honey." She sniffed and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"Don't worry about it." Philip shook his head. "What's wrong?"

"It's Will." Kate replied, blinking away tears. "He was killed earlier tonight."

Philip exhaled sharply. "Oh, no…how's Lucas?"

"He cried himself to sleep." Kate nodded. "Austin also called. He and Carrie and Anna are all on their way here."

"Oh, God. I can't believe this." Philip rubbed his eyes. "Do we know who did it?"

Kate shook her head. "The police are working on that now."

Philip nodded, then remembered that Kate couldn't see him. "Okay. I'll call Lucas tomorrow."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye." Philip replied.

Kate sighed, hung up, and called Billie. "Billie, hey. Are Chelsea and Max with you?"

"Well, they're just in the other room." Billie replied. "Why? What's going on?"

"Will died, sweetie."

"What?!" Billie gasped. "What happened?"

"He was murdered in his apartment." Kate cried softly.

"Oh, no. Is Ari okay? Was she there?" Billie asked.

"No. Thank goodness."

"Oh my god, poor Lucas and Sami…and Sonny and Ari." Billie said. "Is Lucas still awake?"

"No. He went to sleep a few minutes ago. And I just called Philip." Kate replied. "Will you tell Chelsea and Max for me?"

"Of course." Billie hung up and went into the other room.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Chelsea asked.

"It's your cousin Will. He died earlier today." Billie replied.

"What? What happened?" Max asked as Chelsea burst into tears.

"He was murdered in his apartment." Billie replied.

"Oh my God!" Chelsea cried into Max's shoulders.

XXX

The next morning, Hope drove Abigail and Ben over to Jennifer's house. Jenn and JJ were waiting silently in the living room.

"Hope, what's so urgent?" Jenn asked.

Hope looked about five years older and completely exhausted. "Will died last night. He was murdered by the same person who killed Serena and Paige."

"What? No! No, there has to be a mistake." Abigail insisted.

"I'm afraid not, honey." Hope replied.

JJ sat down and buried his face in his hands. Jennifer clutched her chest. "Oh my god…oh my god, Lucas. Does he know?"

"I would imagine, yes." Hope nodded.

"Oh, Hope!" Jenn and Hope hugged each other and wept. "I need to call Bill and Mike."

Abigail broke down a little. "I'm a horrible person, Ben. I've been so mean and so bad to Will."

Ben held his fiancée. "No, you haven't. He loved you."

XXX

Gabi sat in the waiting area at the police station. One of Ari's babysitters was spent the night at the apartment. Gabi stared into space until Rafe came up to her and knelt down.

"How are you doing?" Rafe asked.

"I just…keep thinking…if I was just a few minutes earlier…" Gabi's voice shook.

"Hey…" Rafe put an arm around her. "This isn't your fault. If you _had_ been a few minutes earlier, the killer would have gotten you and possibly Arianna, too."

Gabi swallowed back tears. "Still…" Rafe pulled Gabi into a hug. "Looks like I'll be taking up your offer to move in with you, after all. No way in hell am I going back _there_."

Rafe chuckled. "Of course."

XXX

JJ drove to the pier, made sure no one was there, and called Clyde.

"Thought I told you not to call me, boy." Clyde replied.

"You son of a bitch! You killed my cousin!" JJ seethed.

"You have no proof." Clyde said.

"I hope for your sake, for your son's and unborn grandkid's sakes you leave the country and change your name." JJ said warningly.

"You did not just threaten me, boy."

"Oh, I didn't. I'm warning you." JJ corrected. "I'm the very least of your worries. You just killed a Brady and the husband of a very beloved and treasured Kiriakis."

"Did I?" Clyde asked nonchalantly.

"No one in the history of torture has experienced the amount of torture that you'll be tortured with should anyone find out." JJ said. "That was also a warning."

Clyde chuckled humorlessly. "Well, then I have nothing to worry about. You take care now. And condolences."

JJ hung up and kicked an empty crate against the wall.

XXX

Stefano's plants in the hospital and the Salem PD usually give him weekly reports of goings-ons of his enemies or enemies' family. This present morning, Stefano received a call from his plant at the Salem PD telling him that Will Horton was murdered the night before.

"You're sure?" Stefano asked in shock.

"Affirmative. Saw the report myself."

"I see. Grazie." Stefano hung up and let out a long sigh. ' _Chad is_ not _going to be happy…_ '

"Father?" Chad walked into the study. "I just got a report form Shin that-" He noticed his father's expression. "Father?"

Stefano sighed again and turned in his seat. "I, uh…I have to tell you something."

"What's wrong? Is it your heart?" Chad asked.

"No. Your friend William has been murdered last night." Stefano revealed.

Chad froze in horror. Will…his best friend whom he's known since high school…

"Morning, gents." Andre walked into the study and headed for the bookcase.

Anger welled up inside Chad. Andre never liked Sami and always wanted to get back at her for some reason. "You did this." Chad stormed over to Andre and pinned him to the wall, gripping his shirt. " _You son of a bitch_ , _he was my friend_! Johnny and Sydney's _brother_!"

"I'm sorry- what now?" Andre asked.

"Don't play stupid with me, you bastard!"

"Chad." Stefano stood up and slowly walked over to his sons.

"You set me up for those womens' murders, and you killed Will Horton!" Chad went on. "How could you?!"

"Hold on, now. What makes you think I'm setting you up or that I would kill my niece and nephew's brother?" Andre asked innocently.

"Chad, Andre is not responsible." Stefano put a hand on Chad's shoulder.

"You better not be. Or I swear to God, Andre, you not only better kill _me_ next, but you better kill Sami, Lucas, Kate, Brady, and maybe even _Sonny_ next!" He let go of Andre and shoved him. "Because they will crucify you, and give you a death so slow and painful, you'll feel it in the afterlife!" He stormed towards the door and kicked a chair over before exiting the room.

"Well, he's pissed." Andre commented.

"I suppose he had a right to be, hmm?" Stefano sighed. "One less Brady to worry about, anyway."

 **Whoo! That took longer than I thought it would**!


	3. Goodbyes And Regrets

Kate silently drove Lucas to the morgue to claim Will's body. Since Sonny and Sami hadn't arrived to Salem yet, Lucas was Will's closest next of kin. They made it to the room where Will's body is.

The mortician showed Lucas to the table. "This is him, correct?"

"Yeah." Lucas swallowed. "Give me a few minutes."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed-"

"Please, just leave me alone with my son." Lucas said more forcefully.

The mortician nodded. "I'll give you a few minutes."

Lucas walked over to the table, barely keeping it together. Will looked so peaceful as if he were only sleeping.

" _We have a family history of alcoholism. That puts you at risk, do you understand that?" Lucas demanded._

" _Okay." Will just shrugged. "Sorry."_

" _No 'okay' me!" Lucas replied. "I've been through hell with this! I don't want you to go through the same thing!" He calmed down a little. "Now, if I'm yelling, it's because I'm mad and you're scaring me. Got that?"_

 _XX_

 _Lucas opens the door to his apartment and sees Will, who chuckles with elation. "Will."_

" _Hey, Dad." Will replied._

 _Lucas beamed. "Look at you, man. You look great."_

" _Thank you." Will looked down quickly, then up. "You too-good to see you. Welcome home."_

" _Come here." Lucas pulled his son into a hug._

 _XX_

 _Will and Lucas were by the archway. It was the night of Nick and Gabi's almost-wedding. Chad had revealed that Nick was not the father of her baby, and Will admitted that he was._

" _What kind of role model can I be, really? I mean, I look at my own family, and..."_

" _And what?" Lucas interrupted. "What, you didn't get enough love when you were little? Your mom and I didn't do our damndest to make sure you could find your way in life? We didn't do that?"_

" _I'm just thinking about all the custody battles with me in the middle." Will explained. "I'm thinking about being shipped off to live in Switzerland with Aunt Carrie and Uncle Austin."_

" _You know exactly why we had to do that."_

 _Will shrugged. "Yeah, because Mom didn't want me around anymore."_

" _That's rude." Lucas snapped. "Your mother never wanted to do that. Your mother had to sacrifice for you. She had to do that for you at the time."_

 _Will was getting irritated. "Now I'm gonna hear about all the sacrifices that you made for me. Thanks, okay."_

 _Lucas wasn't done yet. "Yeah, you know what? Maybe you_ do _need to hear about all the sacrifices that we made for you, and stop feeling sorry for yourself. We don't do that in this family. We stick together. We have never, ever turned our back on you, not once. I mean, really, what more do we have to do? What more do I have to do to prove how much I love you? Man, I went to prison for you!"_

 _XX_

" _That laughter-I'm very grateful for that. It's our saving grace in our family. Um... Will-he, uh-he had it tough growing up. And although I can't, uh, fully speak for Sami-I know better-but today maybe we both can agree that... our son, Will, was, uh... the best thing we could have ever asked for. He was a better son than we both deserved. And when he came out to us... Sami had a moment. Sonny came along, and, uh, their relationship blossomed, and then it was my turn to have a moment." The guests laughed lightly. "I guess I just thought that deep down my son was going through, uh, some sort of state of confusion and that he would figure things out. But it turns out that_ I _was the one who was confused. I am really sorry for the way I reacted, and I'm so sorry for the way I treated you, Sonny. It's not the kind of life that I envisioned for my son when he was growing up... but it is better than anything I could have ever asked for. Growing up with two crazy parents like us, despite everything we put you through, you still managed to find the love and happiness that you deserve. And I am just so proud to call you my son."_

 _XX_

" _What's wrong with you?!" Lucas demanded. "You're worse than your mother."_

Back to the present, Lucas suppressed sobs as he grasped his son's hand. "What the hell, man? Didn't your mother ever tell you to lock your doors and windows at night? This isn't how it was supposed to end. You were supposed to grow old, have more children…grandchildren… _you_ were supposed to claim _my_ body. Why? Why did this happen? This isn't fair."

Kate walked into the room. "Hey, there's paperwork for you to do."

Lucas nodded without looking at Kate. "I love you, son. And I'm sorry I never got to tell you that again."

Kate squeezed Lucas' arm as he walked out. She sighed and walked over to the table. "This isn't fair, you know? _I'm_ supposed to die first…then your dad and aunts and uncles…then you." She put a hand to her mouth to muffle her sobs. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have told you to lie to Sonny about the affair. Maybe then you could have told him, you could have worked out your problems faster…you could be in Paris right now with Sonny sipping Bordeaux and eating crepes." She sniffed, kissed his forehead, and stroked his hair. "Goodbye. I'll miss you."

Upon exiting the room, Kate saw Sami arguing with one of the workers.

"I _am_ his mother, you idiot! Don't you see the family resemblance?! How _dare_ you!" Sami was yelling.

Kate rushed over. "Excuse me. Excuse me, this _is_ Will Horton's mother."

The worker backed off and Lucas showed up. "Sami, you made it!"

"Of course I did." Sami hugged Lucas. "Oh, Lucas!"

XX

Sami walked over to Will's body, breathing heavily and sobbing silently. Losing your child is the worst thing that could happen to you. She leaned against the table and held Will's hand.

 _Austin held the newborn Will out for Sami to see. Sami smiled and laughed. "It's our baby. Austin, it's your baby." She held Will in her arms. "Hi. Hi."_

 _XX_

" _You say that you can count on me, Mom. Why can't I count on you? Huh? Why do I always feel like I'm the adult in this relationship?"_

 _Sami whirled around. "I am_ not _blaming you. Okay? I know better than anyone the mistakes that I have made."_

" _Mistakes?" Will exclaimed in dismay. "Mom, you've made messes. Messes that I am tired of cleaning up. Look, you want to know why I'm so angry with you? It's because you keep destroying the only real family that I have ever had."_

 _XX_

 _Will walked through the debris of the explosion in the warehouse. He saw EJ and his mother hanging over a ledge._

" _William, get up here!" EJ cried._

 _Will nearly flew up the ladder to the ledge. He flung himself towards EJ and pulled him, then Sami up. Sami and Will sobbed a little in relief and hugged each other._

 _XX_

 _Sami just found out that Will was the real father of Gabi's baby. She confronted him in her apartment. "Well, when you talk to Gabi, make sure you figure out what her agenda is."_

 _Will was confused. "Her agenda?"_

" _Oh, she has one. She definitely has one, that girl. She had an agenda when she tried to make sure you gave up all rights to your baby." Sami rambled on. "She had an agenda when she lied to me about it from day one. And she definitely had an agenda when she was saying that you were the one pushing her to have an abortion._

" _I'm sor-why- why were you talking to her at all?" Will asked, not wanting to believe the worst of his best friend._

" _Because I wanted to lay the groundwork for you to have rights to your child. And now the rest is up to you. If you want those rights, you're gonna have to fight for 'em. And you better do it soon." Sami replied._

 _Will sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, what part of "I'm not going to talk to you about this" do you not understand?"_

 _Sami wasn't about to give up. "This is your child we are talking about here."_

" _Yes, Mom, that's right. That's my child. My child. So maybe you should do less talking and more listening to the father of said child." Will replied._

" _I would love to listen to you talk." Sami replied. "Right. Right. I am talking, I am doing the talking, because I care... because I love you, and I don't want to see you get hurt. And because I can see by your face that this hasn't sunk in for you yet, because it's not real yet. You haven't heard...the heartbeat. You haven't seen a sonogram. And I know you haven't because, if you had, this baby would already be the most important thing in your life. I'm begging you not to make a decision until you know exactly what it is that you're giving up. Please. Please get the right advice."_

 _XX_

" _What happened to my sweet little boy?"_

Sami swallowed and blinked away tears. "I failed you. That's what happened. You know, I…I've always imagined that when I had kids…they wouldn't have the same life I did growing up. I would always be there for them and put them first. And now…now I realize I did the complete opposite. Your life was so much worse than mine. I just…you were more like me than I ever would have imagined. But…I'm just…I'm just glad that unlike me, you were never…violated…and that you will never experience the loss of your husband and child. And I am so, so sorry. I'm sorry I never got to tell you that." She broke down completely and started wailing over Will's body.

XXX

Adrienne took a deep breath as she parked her car near the private runway where the Kiriakis jet would land. These past twelve hours had been a nightmare- first Sonny calls her out of the blue asking for her to pick him up at the airport, then they find out Will died. She couldn't even bear to imagine what Sonny, Lucas, and Sami were going through. Poor Sonny has had a rough year: loses his second club because his friend screwed him over, finds out his husband cheated on him with his ex-boyfriend, gets stabbed and nearly killed, been lied to and manipulated by his husband, his parents got divorced _again_ , he had to leave behind his beloved stepdaughter, his grandmother has cancer, his mother has the breast cancer gene, and now he's coming home to bury his husband. Has he even forgiven Will yet? Adrienne jumped slightly when her cell phone rang.

"Hey." She greeted.

"Hey." Justin replied. "Is he here, yet?"

"No, um…Lee called a while ago and said they had to stop somewhere in Ohio because of weather, so it'll be a few more minutes." Adrienne replied. "How's the investigation going?"

"We have every law enforcement in the state on the hunt for DiMera." Justin spat out that name with extreme distaste. "I cannot wait to throw his ass in jail, I swear…"

"Wow, you really don't like him right now." Adrienne noticed.

"He made our son a widower." Justin stated. Adrienne could hear him slamming his briefcase shut. "This is personal."

Adrienne smiled wryly. "You'll have to get to him before Sami, Lucas, and Kate do."

"Oh, I will." Justin said, nodding. "Count on it."

Adrienne swallowed a lump in her throat. "I just…I don't get it. _I'm_ the one with all the health issues…and my mom and Caroline…why…why were _we_ spared when Will- a perfectly healthy young man- wasn't?"

"I don't know." Justin said softly. "I guess…that's just life. It sucks sometimes.

"Yeah." Adrienne saw the jet about to land. "Oh, hey, the jet's here. Um…we'll talk later."

"All right. See you."

Adrienne hung up, sighed, and climbed out of the car. Sonny stepped off the airplane, jetlagged and looking as if he aged twenty years quickly. His eyes and nose were both red from crying. Adrienne blinked away tears of sympathy for her son and held out her arms. Sonny nearly knocked his mother over as he fell onto her shoulders and broke down sobbing. Adrienne rubbed Sonny's back soothingly. "I'm so sorry, baby. It's okay. I'm here for you." They pulled apart, climbed into the car, and drove off.

"I wanna see him." Sonny said quietly.

Adrienne nodded. "Okay."

"It's all my fault." Sonny sniffed. "I should have gone to LA with him. Then…then we would have stayed until our anniversary…then we wouldn't have all those problems…then he would have gone to Paris with me."

Adrienne squeezed his hand gently. "You didn't know what was going to happen."

"Still…" Sonny swallowed and wiped away tears. They were silent the rest of the way to the morgue. Sonny took a deep breath to calm himself as he approached the receptionist. "Excuse me, my husband Will Horton was brought in here last night. I'd like to see him."

The receptionist typed something on the computer. "You're Sonny Kiriakis?" Sonny nodded. "All right. Go down this hall, take a left, and it's the fifth door to your right."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry for your loss."

Sonny and Adrienne headed to the room where Will's body was. The mortician walked out of the room. "Hi. I'm Sonny Kiriakis."

"The deceased's… _friend_?" The mortician asked.

"Husband, actually." Sonny said with a little vindication in his voice.

"I'm sorry, but, I'm afraid your request has been denied." The mortician replied. "That is, unless you have his parents' permission-"

"He does." Everyone turned to see Lucas walking up to them. "It's the love of his life we're talking about here. He has permission."

The mortician sighed in resignation. "Fine. Just don't do anything weird."

"Oh, don't worry. I draw the line at necrophilia." Sonny smirked, nodded, and walked into the room. Lucas and Adrienne stifled chuckles.

Sonny walked in and saw his husband laying on the table covered with a sheet.

 _Abigail, Will, and Sonny were at the pier. "Sonny, this is my cousin Will, the one I'm always talking about."_

 _Sonny smiled at Will. "Oh, hey, dude, how are you? It's nice to meet you after all these years."_

 _Will was a little wary. "Yeah. Uh...so you two are..."_

" _Related." Abigail replied._

 _Will felt slightly embarrassed. "Oh."_

" _Sonny's my cousin too." Abigail replied._

 _X_

" _Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. It's nice to meet you." Will smiled and shook Sonny's hand._

Barely keeping it together, Sonny walked to his husband's side. His hand was cold and hard. He remembered all the times when he and Will hugged, kissed, and made love.

" _I love you more and more every day. And I know that we're gonna have an amazing life together. You, me, and Arianna Grace."_

" _Will Horton…will you marry me?"_

" _Will, how am I supposed to live without you? Can you explain that to me?"_

" _You romantic idiot. You really think I'd let you go to prison for me?"_

" _You cheated on me."_

" _I'm leaving, Will."_

" _It's taken me a long time, but…I forgive you."_

Sonny felt sobs rising through his chest. He squeezed Will's hand and held it to his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry it took so long for me to forgive you. If I had…called even a day earlier…" He couldn't finish. He took deep breaths. "I love you. I promise…Arianna Grace will know you. I'll always be a part of her life. I know I can never replace you, but I will be the best father to her as anyone."

"Excuse me, we need to embalm him now." A morgue worker with a slight Italian accent opened the door and stuck his head inside.

Sonny nodded and cleared his throat. He kissed Will's forehead. "I love you. Goodbye." Sonny left the room and hugged his mother again.

Lucas cleared his throat quietly. "Sonny, I just want you to know that you'll always be a part of this family. We'll hang your ornament on the Horton Christmas tree every year…you're a Horton now and forever."

"Don't forget the Bradys." Sami spoke up, walking up to them. "You'll always be a Brady, too."

Touched, Sonny's eyes welled up with tears. He hugged both of them. "I love you guys."

"Oh." Sami sniffed. "We love you, too."

XXX

Abigail was exhausted. Not only were her pregnancy hormones in overdrive, but she just lost one of her favorite cousins. Her best friend and confidant. She blinked away silent tears as she lay on Ben's chest. "Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"If our baby's a boy…I want to name him after Will." Abigail said. "Kind of…honor him, you know?"

Ben nodded. "Sure. William Clyde Weston. It has a nice ring to it."

Abigail chuckled. "Yeah…"

Ben sighed quietly. _'Sorry, Will. But you knew too much. You had to be sacrificed to destroy Abigail's love for Chad.'_


	4. Condolences

_24 Hours Earlier…_

Ben heard a knock at the door and opened it when he saw Will. "Hey, just in time!"

"Hey." Will walked in. "Okay, so, usually the best man gives a toast and pays for the honeymoon, right?"

"Well, actually, the best man arranges the honeymoon and the bachelor party." Ben corrected. "You're also supposed to pick up the tuxedoes, make sure I don't get wasted the night before the wedding, keep track of the rings, and you're supposed to sign the marriage license or something."

"Okay, perfect!" Will replied, grinning. "Any ideas for the honeymoon?"

Ben blushed slightly. "Okay, don't laugh. But…I've always wanted to go to Disneyland…so has Abigail. So…we were thinking…"

"I'm not gonna laugh. That's actually perfect." Will said. "I'll do some research on prices for you."

"Great! I have to hop in the shower real quick, but, feel free to use whatever you need." Ben replied.

"Thanks." Will smiled.

"You're welcome." Ben headed towards the bathroom.

Will sat at the desk and opened the laptop. He found open reservations at a hotel across the street from the theme park, and opened the desk drawer to look for a pad of paper and a pen. He found two slightly crumpled up scraps of paper, but they had writing on it.

"Paige Larson- Building Z room 202"

' _That's weird. Why does Ben have Paige's dorm info?'_ Will wondered. He investigated further and found another piece of paper.

"Dr. Marlena Evans- office hours from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM"

An alarm bell rang off in Will's head. Paige was killed and his grandmother was attacked…so…if Ben has their information, then…could he be the serial killer? Shivers ran through his whole body, and his heart started pounding. "Oh my God…" He heard the shower shut off. Thinking fast, Will stood up, put the notes next to each other, took a picture with his phone, put the phone in his pocket, and quickly shoved the notes back in the drawer and shut it. However, in his haste, he didn't realize that the note was sticking out of the closed drawer.

"Hey. Did you get it set up?" Ben asked, smiling.

"Yeah." Will said, trying to keep his cool. "So, I need to go. I'm helping Gabi find a job. We'll talk later."

Ben stared after Will in confusion. His eyes travelled to the drawer with the note sticking out of it. Curious, he picked it up, and his eyes widened in horror as he realized what it was. "Dammit, Will. You have no idea what you've just done."

XXX

Back to the present, Abigail knocked on the door to Gabi and Will's apartment. Gabi opened the door and immediately pulled her friend in for a hug. The two women hugged and cried for a while. Abigail took a deep breath. "Is um…is Sonny here?"

"Yeah." Gabi glanced towards the bedroom. "He, Sami, and Lucas are going through Will's things. He didn't leave a will, so everything's being left to Sonny and Ari."

"Where is she? Ari?"

"She's with Marlena." Gabi replied. "Rafe is in overdrive trying to find Will's killer, and I can't exactly leave her here with all the…"

Abigail nodded in understanding. "Gabi…there is _no way_ Chad's the serial killer now. Even if Chad hated Will's guts, he _still_ wouldn't kill him. Especially since he was his niece and nephew's brother. _My_ favorite cousin and one of my very best friends."

"I know. I know." Gabi nodded. "I agree. Listen…we could use some help arranging the funeral. Do you think you'll be up to it?"

"Yeah. Of course." Abigail cleared her throat. "Maybe we can have JJ play Will's favorite son on the guitar."

"That'd be great." Gabi replied. They heard a knock on the door. Gabi answered it. Nicole was standing in the doorway holding a bouquet of flowers. "Nicole. Hi."

"Hey. Is Sonny here? I'd like to express my condolences." Nicole said.

"Yeah, um…he's going through Will's things with Will's parents." Gabi replied.

"Oh." Nicole shifted uncomfortably. She cleared her throat. "Okay, well, I just wanted to give Sonny these flowers. There's a card in there."

"Okay. Thank you." Gabi took the bouquet, and Nicole left.

XXX

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom; Sami, Lucas, and Sonny sat in front of three boxes marked "donate", "keep", and "trash".

"We don't have to do this right now." Lucas put a hand on Sami's shoulder.

"There's no timetable." Sonny shook his head in agreement.

"No." Sami shook her head and stammered. "I'm afraid that if I don't do this now, I'll never do it."

Sonny nodded. He stood up and walked to the dresser. He sadly picked up a hairbrush which had a few strands of Will's hair. He hugged it to his chest and set it down. He'll give it to Ari when she's older. He found the EM Forster book Sonny gave Will one year. It was creased from so many readings. He flipped through it. Some of the lines and paragraphs were highlighted with some commentary from Will. Sonny smiled and walked over to Lucas. "I gave Will this book for his birthday one year. I think you should have it."

Lucas was surprised. "Me?"

"Will made some comments about you in this book." Sonny replied. "Apparently, one of the characters reminded him of you."

Lucas nodded and smiled as tears ran down his face. "Thanks."

Sonny pulled out the small wedding plaque made for him and Will, and handed it to Sami. "I think you should keep this."

"What?" Sami asked in surprise. "Sonny, this is your wedding plaque! If anyone should keep it-"

"It's you." Sonny insisted. "Will always told me that…despite everything you put him through, he knew that you didn't want him to have the same life you did. He only wanted to get married once, and well…he got his wish."

Sami swallowed and blinked away tears as she took it. "Thank you."

Sonny pulled out one of Will's jackets and put it on. It still smelt like him. He took in Will's scent and suppressed sobs. Both Sami and Lucas pulled him into a hug. "I can still hear his voice, you know? Do you think I'll ever forget it? 'Cause I'm afraid I will."

"Hey…" Sami caressed his cheek. "EJ died a year ago, and I still remember his voice. I'm pretty sure our husbands' voices will be with us for the rest of our lives."

Sonny swallowed and sniffed. "I had it all planned out. I was going to get my Uncle Victor's clubs all up and running…I'd come back here and Will would be writing his newest article or novel. He'd ask 'what are you doing here?' and I would say 'I'm home'. And we would live…happily ever after."

"Did you tell him?" Lucas asked.

Sonny shook his head. "I didn't have to. He already knew. I'm just…I'm just glad I forgave him before…" Sami hugged him again.

XX

Gabi found a vase and put water and the bouquet of flowers in it; and set it on the table. Abigail sat down and smelled the flowers. "This is nice. It's actually a nice complement for the room."

"Yeah. And a welcome change to all the casseroles we keep getting." Gabi replied.

"Wow. People still do that?" Abigail asked.

Gabi shrugged. "I guess so."

Abigail sighed sadly. "I just can't believe he's gone. My brat of a cousin who was always there for me and always in my corner. I just wish that I was there for him as much as he was there for me."

Gabi squeezed her hand sympathetically. "He loved you, you know. He knew how much you loved him"

Abigail swallowed and nodded. "Thanks. It's going to be so strange not to see him around town anymore."

"I agree." Gabi nodded. "You know, the person I feel worst for aside from Sami, Lucas, and Sonny is Arianna. She lost her daddy."

"I can definitely relate." Abigail cleared her throat.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry." Gabi said.

Abigail waved it off. "Don't apologize. Hey…Ari has pretty much the whole town in her corner. Everywhere she looks, she will be surrounded by family. She won't be alone, and neither will you."

Gabi folded her arms. "Even though I killed Nick?"

"We've forgiven you for that." Abigail said earnestly. "Hell, even Nick's parents and grandmother forgave you. You loved Will, though and he loved you. You gave him a chance to be a father. We can't be mad at you for that."

Gabi smiled and chuckled lightly. "I guess that's true." Gabi's eyes welled up with tears. She didn't know why she thought of this.

"What's wrong?" Abigail asked.

"I was just thinking about my dad. I have no idea why." Gabi chuckled humorlessly. "He left my family when I was a baby. I mean…your dad, EJ, Will…" She was getting choked up. "All those fathers died, Abigail. Mine chose to leave." Gabi took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. This isn't about me."

Just then, Sami, Lucas, and Sonny walked out of the bedroom. Abigail stood up and tackled her cousin with a hug. "Oh, Sonny!" The two hugged each other and cried.

Sami noticed the bouquet of flowers. "Who sent these?"

Gabi hesitated before saying, "Nicole."

"Walker?" Sami asked. "As in the evidence destroying, baby stealing slut?!"

"It was nice of her." Gabi commented.

"That doesn't change who she is!" Sami grabbed the vase and was about to throw it, but Lucas caught it.

"Sami, come on."

"Those flowers weren't for you, anyway, Sami." Sonny spoke up. "They were for me. I know everything Nicole did to Sydney and Eric, and I'm sorry about that. But I appreciate her sympathies."

Sami looked at Sonny, then noticed Abigail. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"She's here to express her condolences." Gabi explained.

"Since when did you give a damn?" Sami folded her arms.

"What do you mean? I've always cared about Will!" Abigail exclaimed.

"Oh, really? Is that- is that why you put the blame on him when you fell off that swing when you were younger or when you sided with Nick over him after we all found out Will was Ari's father and not Nick? Because you care so much about him? Were you even there for him during Gabi's pregnancy? Were you there for him when Sonny left?" Abigail looked down, slightly guilty. "You weren't, were you? You sanctimonious, self-righteous, judgemental…!"

"Sami! Enough!" Lucas snapped, glaring at her. He got in between Abigail and Sami. "That is my niece you are attacking. She is pregnant, she just had a health scare, and she just lost her cousin."

"Oh. Right, I forgot. Her misery trumps everyone elses' right?" Sami asked sarcastically.

"That's not true." Abigail said quietly. "From one mother to another…I can't even begin to imagine what you must be going through."

Sami continued glaring at Abigail. "Get out. Now."

"Sami, this is _my_ apartment." Gabi spoke up. "You can't just tell people what to do."

Sami scoffed and shook her head. "I can't be here anymore." She storms out. Anger beyond anything she felt bubbled up inside her. "Chad DiMera…I swear to god I will find you and kill you."


	5. The Man Who Knew Too Much

**Well, looks like I was half-correct on how Will will meet his end. I'm continuing forward, though. So…I guess you can call this an AU? Half-au?**

Rafe heaved a heavy sigh as he added Will's picture to the "murder board" as he called it. He shook his head slowly. Something just didn't add up. So far, all the victims have been women.

Hope knocked on the door and walked in. "Hey."

Rafe turned to his friend, whose eyes were red from crying, even under her makeup. "Hey." They hugged. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thanks." Hope cleared her throat. "Funny how things turn out, huh? We were all worried about Caroline, but…well…" She glanced at the board.

"This just doesn't make sense." Rafe said. "All the victims before Will have been women."

"Definitely breaks the pattern." Hope nodded. "But why _Will_?"

"I don't know. But, there is no way Chad could have done this." Rafe said. "He and Will have been friends since high school. Will was Johnny and Sydney's- Chad's nephew and niece's- older brother. He knows that they'll never forgive him or speak to him again if he killed Will."

Hope exhaled slowly. "Have you told Roman and Justin this?"

"I have Roman convinced, but Justin…" Rafe just sighed and shook his head. "He just won't listen to reason."

"So, if Chad didn't kill Will and the two women, then who the hell did?" Hope threw her arms out. "And why did they kill Will?"

Rafe leaned against the desk and folded his arms in thought. "Well…from my experience…usually when a pattern is broken in a serial killing, the person who broke the pattern found something out that they weren't supposed to."

"You think he knew something?" Hope asked, her heart quickening.

"Maybe."

"Well then why didn't he tell us?" Hope asked. "Why didn't he go straight to the police?"

"I don't know. Maybe he needed more information?" Rafe shrugged.

Hope sighed. "Maybe. Sonny and Gabi were the last two people to see him alive, right?"

"Right." Rafe nodded. "I'm heading over to the apartment right now to get their statements."

"Go easy on Sonny, okay? He's been through a lot." Hope said.

"I will." Rafe replied, then left.

XXX

Gabi stretched and sighed. Being in the kitchen was hard for her. After all, that's where… anyway, she wiped some crumbs from the counter and ran into the garbage can, knocking it over. She groaned in frustration and knelt down to clean it up. She stopped when she saw that Will's laptop and cell phone spilled out of it. That was strange. Why would Will throw away his laptop and phone?

…Unless…he wasn't the one who threw those out. She pulled the laptop and phone out of the garbage can, cleaned the garbage up, and brought the phone and laptop to the table. The screen was completely cracked on the phone, and she couldn't turn it on. She plugged it into a charger, but it still didn't work. Gabi then tried to turn on the laptop, but it was broken, too. This was getting weirder by the second. There was a knock on the door.

"Rafe, hey." Gabi greeted. "I was just about to call you."

"Oh, yeah?" Rafe stepped into the apartment and closed the door.

"I knocked over the garbage can and found these." Gabi pointed to the demolished laptop and phone. "I don't think it was Will who destroyed these."

Rafe's FBI instincts started to kick in. "Do you have a bag I can put these in?"

"Oh, yeah." Gabi ran to get a plastic bag from the grocery store. "Evidence?"

"Could very well be." Rafe carefully put the laptop and phone in the bag. "Good find, sis."

"I hope there's something on there that you could use." Gabi shrugged as she sat down.

Rafe pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "All right, I need to take your statement. When was the last time you saw Will alive?"

"Yesterday evening at around five." Gabi replied.

"Was there anything strange about his behavior?"

Gabi closed her eyes in thought. "Um…well…yeah, now that I think about it. He acted out of breath when he walked into the apartment and was acting really anxious. He hugged Ari like a lifeline. Then when I was leaving for your apartment, he hugged me and said 'You're my best friend. I love you'. I asked where all this was coming from, and he told me it was because of the murders that have been going on in town, his grandmother being attacked, and his great-grandmother deteriorating."

"And you believed him?" Rafe asked.

"Hell, no." Gabi shook her head. "I figured I'd weasel it out of him when I got home and put Ari down, but…"

Rafe nodded and jotted down some notes. "Okay, thanks for your help."

"Always. Will was the father of my child. My best friend." Gabi said. "I'll do everything I can to help."

Sonny walked out of the bedroom. "Hey. I heard voices."

"You did." Rafe replied. "I need to take a statement from you if you're up for it."

"Yeah, I'm up for it." Sonny replied.

Gabi stood up. "Are you sure? I know how hard this must be for you."

Sonny smiled. "I'm sure, Gabi."

Ari started crying from her room, and Gabi headed towards it. "Excuse me."

"First of all, I'm sorry for your loss." Rafe said as Sonny sat down.

"Thanks."

"When was the last time you spoke to Will?"

"Last night over Skype." Sonny replied. He heaved a sigh.

"Did you notice anything strange about his behavior?" Rafe asked.

Sonny shook his head. "He didn't act strange, actually."

"Okay. Did he have any enemies?" Rafe asked.

"He didn't exactly leave this world on the best of terms with everyone, but…no. No enemies." Sonny shook his head. "At least none that would want to kill him."

Rafe nodded and wrote down some notes. "All right. Thank you for your time. I promise: we will find whoever killed your husband."

Sonny nodded. "Thanks."

XXX

Abe walked into the squad room and looked over the murder board. Rafe walked in. "Abe."

"Hey. I just saw Sami, Hope, and Roman." Abe replied, looking sad. "It's terrible what happened."

Rafe nodded. "We got new evidence…well, hopefully. Will's laptop and cell phone were both found in the garbage can at his apartment…completely destroyed."

"Will we be able to get anything off of them?" Abe asked, hopefully.

"We're trying to." Rafe nodded.

"I'm just wondering who the hell is stupid enough to murder Sami Brady's son." Abe said.

Rafe chuckled. "Yeah, really."

XXX

Marlena walked around the square and saw Lucas sitting at a table, looking at a picture with a sad expression on his face. She sat down. "Hey."

"Hey." Lucas replied, not looking up from the photo.

"How are you holding up?" Marlena asked.

Lucas swallowed and blinked away tears. "I wasted so much time. My alcoholism kept me away, feuding with Sami over him, going to lengthy out of the country business trips…"

Marlena squeezed his hand comfortingly. "Don't say that. You had plenty of time. You got to see him grow up, graduate college, have a baby of his own, and get married. That's more than I can say for most parents who have lost their children when they were still so young."

"I'm just…I'm worried about Sami and what she'll do next." Lucas admitted. "I mean, we both saw her when Roman almost died because of the DiMeras. Imagine her now."

Marlena nodded in agreement.

XXX

Meanwhile, Sonny knocked on Marlena's penthouse door. Paul answered. "Sonny."

Sonny was surprised. "Hey. I just have something that I want to give to Marlena. Is she here?"

Paul shook his head. "No. You just missed her."

"Oh." Sonny cleared his throat. Paul stepped aside to let Sonny in. "I'll just leave this for her, then."

Sonny set his gift to Marlena on the coffee table, and started towards the door, not looking at Paul. "Sonny, wait." Sonny stopped, but didn't turn around. "I'm so sorry about everything. None of this would have happened if I had said yes to your proposal. You wouldn't have gone through all this."

"It's not your fault." Sonny replied. "It's mine. I should have gone to LA with him…and I should have taken him along to Paris to work on our marriage away from everything. But I didn't. And now's he's gone." Without another word, he left for the Kiriakis mansion. He needed to talk to someone.

XXX

"I couldn't even look at him." Sonny told his mother what happened with Paul. "Not because I blame him for everything that's happened in the last year- I _don't_ blame him- but because…I was afraid that if I did…"

"You're afraid you would have run into Paul's arms, therefore dishonoring Will's memory." Adrienne guessed. Sonny nodded. "I'm not going to tell you how to grieve or when to move on…but you do know it's okay to receive comfort no matter who it's from, right?"

Sonny nodded. "I do."

"And you're not…you're not gonna go after Chad, are you?" Adrienne asked.

"No." Sonny shook his head. "Because there's no way that he did this. Johnny and Sydney would never forgive him. Neither would Abigail."

Justin walked into the room. "Yeah, well, I'm sure you thought he would never screw you over by making you piss away two hundred grand, either."

"Justin!" Adrienne chided.

"Sorry, but it's true."

"Seriously? Who are you right now? Your son just lost his husband!" Adrienne said angrily.

Justin softened up. "I know. I truly am sorry for your loss, Sonny. I never wanted you to have to go through this."

"Thanks, Dad." Sonny replied. He stood up and hugged him. "And if we do find out who really killed Will and attacked Marlena and killed Serena and Paige, don't worry- I won't go after him."

Justin chuckled under his breath. "Oh, I wouldn't expect you to. Your mom and I brought you up better than that."

Sonny chuckled, then sobered up. "I'm sorry…that it'll take even longer to give you a biological grandchild. After calling Will on Skype, we were heading our way back to each other. After more marriage counseling, we would have hired a surrogate to give Ari a younger sibling. That's no longer possible now."

"Oh…" Adrienne pulled him into a hug. "Don't even worry about that. Arianna is just as much our granddaughter as any future children you will have."

Sonny hugged both his parents. "I love you guys."

XXX

Andre walked into the study where Chad was drinking wine. "Clyde Weston was just arrested. But not for murder. They found no evidence that he killed those people."

"One of those 'people'…" Chad slammed the glass on the table and stood up. "Is Will. My friend, Johnny and Sydney's brother, and our sister-in-law's firstborn son."

Andre held his hands up to calm him down. "All right, all right. Don't get your knickers in a twist. Can you think of anyone else who might be setting you up?"

Chad exhaled sharply. "No."

Andre folded his arms in thought. "Your precious Abigail…she's getting married, correct?"

"Yeah. So?" Chad looked at his brother in confusion.

"So…what do you know about her fiancé?" Andre asked.

Chad opened his mouth to speak, then something struck him. "Wait…" He chuckled. "Come on. Really? That dumb, cocky, hick from the middle of nowhere?" He cracked up. "Oh, thanks. I needed that laugh!"

Andre stood his ground and waited a minute. "You of all people should know…to never judge a book by its' cover. Did you also think that EJ wouldn't sleep with your ex-girlfriend? Did you once think that your dear friend Gabriella wouldn't hire a stalker and unintentionally have your girlfriend kidnapped?"

Chad's face turned from amused, to surprised, then to fury. He had a point there. " _Mother…_ " He stood up. "That's it. I'm done. I am going to go all _Zero Dark Thirty_ on that son of a bitch!"

"Now, now, now! Don't go and do something stupid." Andre held up a hand to stop him.

"He killed my friend!" Chad shot back.

"I understand that, but there are better ways to deal with this." Andre said.

"Screw that." He stormed to the tunnel entrance and went through.

XXX

Ben stared at the news article about Will's death. "NECKTIE KILLER STRIKES AGAIN". He sighed in irritation and tossed his iPad aside and ran his hands through his hair. "This is all Chad's fault. If he hadn't come back to town and slept with Abigail, none of this would have happened." He jumped slightly when there was a pounding at the door. He walked to the door and opened it.

Chad walked in and slammed the door. "Is Abigail here?"

"No. Why would she be?" Ben asked. He walked over to his table.

"I went over everything that's happened since Serena was killed." Chad explained. "I came to the conclusion that I'm being set up."

"And why should I care?" Ben asked.

"Because...it was you." He grabbed Ben by the front of his shirt, and pinned him against the wall. "You sick, twisted, son of a bitch! You set me up!"

Ben scoffed. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play stupid with me, you evil hillbilly! I _know_ it was you!" Chad glared at Ben, beyond infuriated. "Who else has a grudge against me? Hmm? Not my father. Not a Kiriakis. Not a Brady. At first, I thought it was dear old dad, but he was arrested before Will was killed, wasn't he?"

Ben's heart quickened. He figured it out. "You're not as dumb as you look."

Chad was taken aback. He was actually admitting it?! "Serena…and Paige were both innocent! Marlena helped your father. And you repay her by trying to kill her? Oh- and what about Sonny? You have this apartment because of him, he gave you a job when no one else would, and you repay him by murdering his husband?! Abigail chose _you_! She's marrying _you_! You think by killing her favorite cousin would make her love you?" Ben had enough. He punched Chad away from him. Chad hopped up and punched him back. "I will not allow you to hurt anyone else! Your fight is with me! Leave others out of it!"

"You know what? You're right." Ben replied. He punched Chad, and he fell to the ground, unconscious. He sat Chad up and banged his head against the wall, and poked his eye out. Breathing heavily, and thinking fast, he called 911.

"911. What's your emergency?"

"Th-the necktie killer. He came to my apartment a-and tried to kill me." Ben said, trying to sound as freaked out as possible.


	6. Sami's Revenge

"Chad's in the hospital?"

Abigail sat on her couch next to Ben, who nursed his lip. He nodded. "Freaking serial killer came in and sucker-punched me. I had to defend myself!"

Abigail exhaled sharply. She was about to protest again that Chad wouldn't do this, but, didn't want to get into another argument. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. There's been enough death."

"I agree." Ben said softly. "You know…you asked Will to wait for the cable guy. Chad must have thought you were here, but found Will instead. He might have saved your life."

Abigail swallowed, nodded, and blinked away tears. "All the more reason to honor him by naming our child after him."

XXX

Abigail stepped off the elevator to the fifth floor. She headed to Chad's room and found Sonny standing at the door. "Sonny?"

Sonny jumped slightly and turned to his cousin. "Abigail. Hey."

"Um…don't take this the wrong way, but how are you allowed this close to Chad?" Abigail asked. "I mean, everyone thinks he killed your husband."

"I know. I'm actually not allowed in there without supervision from the staff- probably to make sure I don't kill him." Sonny sighed. "I don't believe he killed Will- or those women- anyway."

"You know, we might be the only two people alive who knows that." Abigail shrugged. "How is he? Do you know?"

"He's in a coma." Sonny replied. "Stefano's in there with him, by the way."

"Did he see you?" Abigail asked.

"No." Sonny shook his head. "Now that I think about it, it's probably best I stay away from Chad. I don't want to accidentally start another Kiriakis-DiMera war, especially since Chad and I established a treaty."

"What about Victor?"

"Maggie, Justin, Brady, and I all managed to talk him out of striking against the DiMeras." Sonny explained. "There's been enough drama over the last few months."

"That's good." Abigail said. The door opened, and Stefano wheeled out of the room. "Hi. How is he?"

"He'll live." Stefano replied. He stared suspiciously at Sonny. "I know what you must be thinking. But I can assure you: Chad did not kill your husband."

"I know." Sonny replied, sincerely. "I do not believe that Chad would do this."

"What about your family?" Stefano asked.

"My uncle thinks he's guilty, but, we all managed to convince him not to strike back." Sonny admitted. "My family is not a threat to your son, I promise."

"I hear you. But, you'll understand if I keep a close eye on you." Stefano said with a warning, and wheeled off.

Abigail sighed. "Okay. I have to get to work. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah." Sonny smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Abigail. I'll be fine."

"Okay. Just making sure."

XXX

Sami walked through the nurse's station. The DiMeras have hurt her and her family long enough. She has had it. And now, they take away her son. Well…they're about to regret it. She opened the door to Chad's room quietly, and locked and barricaded the door. Chad was laying on the bed, unconscious with a bandage over his left eye. He was handcuffed to the bed. Sami walked towards him, glaring at him.

"You know…I always liked you." Sami said, keeping her voice calm and steady. "You weren't like your father or siblings. You were good to Johnny and Sydney…and a good friend to Will and Sonny. Well…that is, until a couple days ago when you broke into my son's apartment and choked the life out of him. He always spoke highly of you…told me you were great with Arianna. I can't even begin to imagine what would drive you to kill one of your best friends. How can you even face your niece and nephew after what you did? How can you face your precious Abigail- Will's cousin?" She jumped slightly and turned around when she heard pounding on the door.

"Sami! Don't do it!" Marlena's voice carried through the door.

Sami turned back to Chad. "You may be my brother-in-law. But Will was my son."

"Sami!" Lucas was yelling this time. "Think about your other kids! They just lost their dad and brother- they can't lose you, too!"

"Your family has hurt me for the last time. Now you killed Will." Sami pulled out a pillow from under Chad's head, which woke him up. His eyes widened in horror. "And now…you're gonna feel what my son felt. Good-bye, Chad." Chad discreetly held his breath as Sami started smothering him. The door burst open, and Lucas and Marlena dragged Sami away from Chad. "NO! NO! HE KILLED MY SON! MY SON! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

Daniel rushed in to make sure Chad was okay as Marlena and Lucas dragged Sami out of the room, wailing.

The trio made it to the waiting room. Marlena held Sami as she continued crying. Lucas exhaled slowly. "We need to make sure Stefano doesn't find out about this. The kids- they've been through too much already."

"I agree." Marlena sighed.

 **Two more chapters, guys!**


	7. Funeral Crashers

**To answer a guest review, how was implied that Sonny wanted to sleep with Paul? "Running into someone's arms" doesn't always mean "sleeps with". Besides, I'll give Sonny a year at least to mourn and move on.**

 **Speaking of moving on…**

The funeral was to be in the park- the same area where Paige's funeral was held. Marlena pulled on her black cardigan as she walked into the living room and saw Paul sitting on the couch on his ipad.

"Hey. You're not going to the funeral?" Marlena asked.

Paul shook his head. "No. Figured I'd be the last person Sami, Lucas, and Sonny would want to see there. I did pretty much mess up the last year of Will's life by coming here, so…"

"You're not responsible." Marlena replied. "He forgave you, you know."

"Thanks." Paul sighed. "Will you please pass along my condolences at least?"

"Of course."

XXX

' _Oh, this is gonna be awkward as hell…'_

Ben straightened his tie as he heard the shower turn off. He and Abigail were getting ready for the funeral. He heard a knock at the door and answered.

"Ben Weston?" Asked the elderly Hispanic man.

"Yes?"

"My name is Eduardo Larson." Eduardo replied. He held up a check. "I assume you saw me on the news a few weeks ago offering a reward for DiMera's capture?"

Ben nodded as he remembered. "Oh, yeah."

"DiMera's in custody because of you." Eduardo smiled. "I keep my promises, so, here. One hundred thousand dollars."

Ben tried to act modest. "I mean, he just appeared at my door. It was more like an unwitting capture."

"Still, it's a capture nonetheless." Eduardo held out the check. "Here. You deserve it."

"Thank you." Ben took the check. "And I'm sorry for your loss."

"Oh, not as sorry as DiMera's going to be." Eduardo nodded in determination. "Have a good day."

"You, too." Ben replied. He closed the door and walked over to put the check on the table.

"Hey, who was that?" Abigail asked as she walked out of the bathroom brushing her hair.

"Paige's dad." Ben replied. "Though it was an unwitting capture, he gave me the reward money for Chad's capture."

"Oh." Abigail nodded.

"I was thinking we could start Little Will's college fund with this." Ben said.

"That'd be nice." Abigail smiled in agreement.

XXX

Ben and Abigail walked arm in arm towards the park. Some of Will's family were there including Sonny, Gabi, and Ari; who stood in front of Will's casket. Ben took a deep breath and put on a sad smile.

"Oh, Sonny." Abigail hugged her cousin tight. She sighed and pulled away. "I can't imagine what you and Ari must be going through."

Sonny nodded. "Thanks." He swallowed and cleared his throat.

"Sonny…I am _so_ so sorry for your loss." Ben said sincerely, shaking his head slowly, his voice cracking a little.

"Thank you." Sonny studied Ben's expression as he walked off. He looked almost as sad as he did. In fact, it was almost as though he was… Sonny shook his head, chastising himself for being paranoid. He let those thoughts go.

XXX

Theresa and Brady sat down. Theresa looked at the picture of Will on the casket and got choked up. "He was a much better person than I am."

Brady nodded. "That is true."

"You know, earlier this year, Melanie put a slice of chocolate cake on my seat at the Pub. When I sat down, it looked like I had messed myself. Will walked behind me to my car so that no one would see my chocolate butt." Theresa admitted.

"Yeah, you never would have lived that one down." Brady smiled.

Theresa chuckled. "Yeah."

XX

Zoe walked up to Sonny and Gabi. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Zoe." Sonny replied.

Zoe walked to the casket and stared sadly at Will's picture. "You were a great writer, Will Horton. It's gonna be hard to replace you." She sighed sadly, and walked off.

XXX

Maggie and Julie stood in a corner chatting with Jenn and Hope. "It's just so unbelievably sad and tragic."

"I know. He had so much life ahead of him." Hope replied sadly.

"Well, we can be comforted to know that he's with Tom and Alice, now." Maggie said.

Lucas overheard and smiled, touched. _'That was really touching and pleasantly surprising. You know…maybe you're not so bad after all.'_

"Yeah…and Nick." Julie added.

Lucas' face fell. _'Aaand you just killed it.'_

JJ and Joey overheard as well. Joey leaned towards JJ and whispered, "Yeah, he's with Nick- kicking his celestial ass."

JJ snickered and covered it up with coughing. He nodded in agreement.

"Will was always such a joy to have around." Julie went on.

' _Oh, kiss his embalmed ass. You never gave a crap.'_ Lucas rolled his eyes.

XX

Lucas walked towards the casket and was met with Abigail and Ben. Abigail hugged him. "Oh, Uncle Lucas. I can't even begin to imagine…"

"Thank you, Abigail." Lucas replied.

"It's all my fault." Abigail sniffed. "I asked him to wait for the cable guy."

"Hey, hey…in no way are you responsible." Lucas put his hands on her shoulders. "This is Chad's fault and no one elses'."

Abigail swallowed and put her hands on her bulging belly. "Ben and I…we want to name our baby after Will. Would that be okay?"

Lucas smiled. "Only if you let me be one of the first ones to hold him."

Abigail chuckled. "Definitely."

Lucas swallowed and looked at both Abigail and Ben. "I hope you never have to go through what I just went through."

"Me, too." Abigail nodded.

That moment was ruined by Sami's angry cry. "Hey! What the _hell_ …are _you_ doing here?!"

Abigail and Ben watched anxiously as she seemingly stormed towards them, but passed the young couple and headed towards Maggie, Julie, Hope, and Jennifer; who all turned to her.

"Sami, we are so sorry for your loss." Jennifer spoke up.

"Are you?" Sami asked in disbelief.

"Of course we are! Will was our nephew!" Maggie exclaimed.

"He's family. We're all here to mourn him." Julie added.

"Really? He's family to you? Is that why you ignored him and treated him like crap and didn't support him when Ari was born, or when he was shot?" Sami demanded.

"Sami, I know what you're going through…" Hope started to say.

"You know what? I don't give a hot, wet monkey's ass what you know!" Sami snapped and glared at Hope. She then rounded on Julie. "And you! Literally all you care about was your precious Nick! Your annoying Nick-propping, unclassy judging- you know what? I'm officially over it! And I. Have. _Hated_ you from the day I met you. You are a judgmental, self-centered, sanctimonious bitch who never had a single nice thing to say about my son! So don't think for a _second_ that he didn't hate you, too!"

"Well, if he was more nicer and respectful to Nick…" Julie shrugged.

"That's it! Out!" Sami pointed to her left. "I want you out! This funeral is for people who actually cared about Will!"

"Wow, how unfeeling!" Julie exclaimed. "Just like when Sonny and Will didn't invite Nick to the wedding!"

"Unfeeling?! Are you kidding me?!" Sami grabbed Julie by the hair and dragged her over to Sonny, who was hugging Kayla and holding back tears. She practically jammed Julie in Sonny's face. "Does this look 'unfeeling' to you?!"

Marlena and Roman ran over. "Sami! Calm down!"

"What the hell, Sami?" Kayla asked in dismay.

Sami shoved Julie away. Jennifer turned to Sonny, Kayla, and Gabi. "I'm so sorry-"

Sami turned to Jennifer and pointed at her. "Jennifer, if you say another word out of that entitled mouth of yours, I will shove my foot up your ass so far…!"

"That's assault!" Jennifer yelled.

"No, _this_ is assault!" Sami shoved Jennifer into the casket, which nearly tipped over. Sonny and Gabi grabbed hold of it just in time. Sami gasped in horror at what she almost did.

" _Sami_!" Sonny exclaimed, glaring at her.

Sami took a deep breath and glared at Hope, Jennifer, Maggie, and Julie as though blaming them. "Get. Out. Now!"

"Sami, think about Will and what he would want." Marlena said calmly. "Would he want you behaving like this? Would he want you to kick his family out?"

"I'm just wondering why you don't want _us_ at this funeral," Julie started, despite Hope's quiet protests. "when you invited _her_!" She glared daggers at Gabi.

"Gabi is the mother of his child." Sami snapped. Marlena and Roman held her back. "And she is _ten billion_ times the person you four will _ever_ be! When she found him, she tried to _revive_ him! She has been the best friend he could _ever_ have in these last few months, and unlike _you four_ , she's _always_ been there for Will!"

Gabi couldn't help smiling, touched. Hope sighed and turned to her sister, aunt, and cousin. "Maybe we should just go. Obviously coming was a bad idea."

"Glad you see it my way." Sami said simply. Hope sighed, and lead Maggie, Julie, and Jennifer out. She turned to Abigail and Ben. "You too, preggers."

"Sami, come on! I have always cared for Will!" Abigail protested.

Ben was getting nervous. Sami's look scared him. "Um, you know what, maybe we should go…"

Abigail stood up and marched over to Sonny and Gabi. "Do you guys want me here?"

"Of course." Sonny replied.

"Then we're staying." Abigail said pointedly, sat down, and folded her arms.

Sami glared daggers at Abigail. For some reason, a surge of hatred shot through her when she glared at Ben. She wasn't sure why. She took a deep breath and just sat down in the front row. Everyone else sighed with relief when Sami's meltdown was over. Everyone else sat down.

XX

"We mourn the loss of our dearly departed friend, son, and father." Father Louis was saying. He opened his bible. "This is an excerpt from the Book of Wisdom. 'The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be a disaster, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. For though in the sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them forever. Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and he watches over his elect.'" By now, everyone was crying softly into their hands or handkerchiefs. "And now, those who wish are welcome to say a few words."

John stood up, walked to the podium, and cleared his throat. He had volunteered to read the eulogy. "William Robert Horton was born here in Salem on November 16, 1993. Throughout his childhood, he played baseball, basketball, and soccer. He was the top journalist at Sonix Magazine. He is survived by his parents, siblings, husband, daughter, and many extended family and friends who will miss him terribly."

Gabi was next. "Will was the best friend I've ever had. He's taught me so much. He was…he was such a great father to Ari. And though Ari will never remember her father personally, I know that everyone who loved Will will remember for her. He'll always be watching over our daughter." She sobbed into her hand and wiped away tears. She was about to continue, when she saw someone appear from behind a tree. Everyone turned to see what she was looking at. It was none other than Andre DiMera.

"Oh, please, go on. I love a good eulogy." Andre said simply and sat on the back row.

The Bradys and the Hortons were in complete shock. They thought Andre was dead! Or was it Tony?

"Uh-um…" Gabi looked to Sonny, silently asking if she should continue. Sonny nodded, and Gabi cleared her throat. "Anyway, um…what I was saying was…because I knew Will, I have been changed for the better. Thank you."

Abigail stood at the podium. "Will was one of my favorite cousins. Though we always fought when we were kids, at the end of the day, we were always in each other's corner. He was there for me…and he never gave up on me." She started crying, and took a deep breath. "My…my fiancé and I want to honor Will by naming our child after him." Everyone except for Sami was touched. Sami just glared at her as if she doesn't deserve to name her baby after Will. "I'll miss you, Will."

Sonny started to stand up, and Adrienne grabbed his arm. "Are you sure?" She asked.

Sonny nodded, walked to the podium, and took a deep breath. "Nobody treat me with kid gloves, okay? He meant a lot to me, too." He started getting choked up. "I loved Will, and…he loved me- he loved all you guys. One of my favorite things about him was that he was willing to do anything and everything to protect his loved ones. And I know that everyone here will miss him for all the days of our lives."

XX

JJ walked up to the podium. "This was Will's favorite song." He started playing "In My Life" by the Beatles as everyone took roses of red and yellow and put them on Will's casket. Gabi held Ari up and helped her put a rose on the casket. Ari burst into tears, and Gabi hurried her out of there.

Sami stormed up to Andre. "What the hell are you doing here?! You're supposed to be dead!"

"Right, remember how I supposedly unplugged my life support machine?" Andre asked. "I was breathing and my heart was beating on its own. It took a while for me to heal, but, well…here I am."

Sami scoffed. "And you chose my son's funeral to make your not-so-triumphant return?"

"Yep!" Andre chuckled. "Though…maybe if you hadn't tried to kill my baby brother, just maybe I would have shown my face at a more appropriate time."

"He killed my son!" Sami snapped back.

"Believe what you wish." Andre shrugged. "I shall destroy your happiness." He walked off.

Sami gaped after him. "MY HAPPINESS IS _ALREADY_ DESTROYED!" She started breathing heavily. Eric came over to hug her.


	8. Epilogue

Everyone was still emotionally exhausted and drained the day after the funeral. Sami had received a letter from whom she assumed was EJ hinting at him being alive. She finished packing and grabbed her jacket.

"You're leaving so soon?" Sami turned to see Marlena standing in the doorway. She sighed. "EJ might be alive. I know it sounds crazy and impossible, but-"

"Your children and your granddaughter need you!" Marlena argued. "What if that letter is fake? What if Stefano is just leading you into a trap?"

"What if it's rea?" Sami argued back. "Allie, Johnny, and Sydney just lost their brother. Don't you think I owe it to them to see if their father is still alive?"

"Yes, but, honestly- so soon?" Marlena asked. "Honey, I want you to be happy, but I also want you to be smart."

Sami huffed and shook her head. "If I don't look into this, it will be _all_ I will think about. I will return just as soon as I get an update, I promise."

Marlena sighed. "Okay. Just as long as you keep in touch."

Sami smiled, nodded, and hugged her mother. "I will."

XXX

Meanwhile, at the Kiriakis mansion, Sonny stared sadly at a picture of him and Will and Ari and set it carefully in his suitcase, closed it, and zipped it up.

"Hey."

Sonny looked up at his dad. "Hey. I'm just going to check up on Gabi and Ari, then I'm going home."

"Here, home?" Justin asked.

"No. Paris." Sonny corrected. "That's my home, now. Being here…it's just a painful reminder of everything that I lost: Will…Chad…Club TBD 2…Uncle Jack…"

Justin nodded in understanding. "What about Arianna? You're just gonna leave her after she just lost her father?"

"I'll still call her every night." Sonny explained. "And I'll visit as often as I can. And…depending on when all those projects are done, I'll return."

Justin smiled. "Well, then, by all means, go."

"Well, gee, Dad, don't be in such a hurry to rush me out the door." Sonny chuckled.

Justin chuckled. "Fathers are supposed to let their kids venture out and see the world. Sure beats the alternative."

Sonny smiled and hugged his dad. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too."

XXX

Sonny walked into Rafe's and now, Gabi's apartment. Sonny and Gabi hugged.

"You sure I can't change your mind?" Gabi asked.

Sonny shook his head. "I wish more than anything I could take you and Ari with me."

"Maybe someday." Gabi said optimistically. "We won't be in Salem forever. And…if I ever do get another modeling job, I can request a transfer to Paris."

Sonny smiled. "That would be great."

"Dada!" Ari came running.

"Hey, sweetheart!" Sonny knelt down to pick her up and hugged her. He sat on the couch and put Ari in his lap. "I love you, so much. Daddy's going away now. But he promises to call you every night and visit you as much as he can and send you pictures and presents. And maybe someday, you and your mommy will come live with me. But for now…you and your mommy need each other." He sniffed and hugged Ari again. "I love you, Ari-Grace." Sonny stood up and handed her to Gabi. "Now it's up to you, I guess."

Gabi nodded and sighed. "We've always had a complicated friendship. But…you and Will…you guys helped me most to grow. Um…just to clear the air, I'm sorry for everything that you blame me for."

"You're forgiven." Sonny replied. "Then I guess there's blame to share, but none of it matters anymore."

Gabi nodded again in agreement. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." They hugged.

"Don't forget to send me discount Chanel." Gabi smiled.

Sonny laughed. "Don't forget to pay me back."

XXX

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, Andre stared down at the news article about Will on his tablet. "Your mother is looking for her beloved EJ as we speak. Wild goose chase, if you ask me." He set his tablet aside, sighed, and looked towards a bed. "It's such a bloody shame you had to die, William. You had so much potential to be used against the blasted Brady family, the high-and-mighty Horton family, and the cocky Kiriakis family through your dear widower." He stood up and looked down at none other than a very much alive, but sleeping Will Horton. "Which is why I had men tailing you. Your stalker couldn't tell who your attempted murderer was, unfortunately, but he could definitely tell the Necktie Killer got to you. He had a preservation-slash-revival drug on hand, luckily. Now…when you open your eyes, you will be reprogrammed into a DiMera soldier. You'll see what we see, do what we do, say what we say, and act as we act. Open your eyes, Will Horton. We have work to do."

Will slowly opened his eyes, which were completely vacant.

 **Sequel planned! Actually, there's going to be a couple different, unrelated sequels to this fic, because I can't decide which to write, so I'm writing all of them! I was planning on waiting until we know the fates of Bo, Shawn, Ben, EJ, Paul, Caroline, Sami, Stefano, Sonny, and Paul; but, maybe I can just try to work around it as time goes on.**

 **After all, this one fanfic I planned takes place in August 2016, and Will was a major part of that fanfic, and…well…**


End file.
